The 2025 NCAA women’s basketball tournament took a major turn on Monday night when top-seeded USC lost star guard JuJu Watkins to a season-ending knee injury during a hard-fought victory over No. 9 Mississippi State. The Trojans were on track for a potential Elite Eight rematch with No. 2 UConn in the Spokane 4 Region, a highly anticipated showdown between two of the game’s biggest stars Watkins and UConn’s Paige Bueckers.
With Watkins sidelined, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith shifted attention to Bueckers, placing additional pressure on her to carry the sport on its biggest stage. “Now we have to look at Paige Bueckers and say, ‘Go ahead, girl, do your thing,’” Smith said on *First Take* Tuesday. “Do what we would have expected from JuJu, because we were anticipating that battle.”
"This is a really sad moment for JuJu … for the team, for LA, but also just for women's basketball."@Andraya_Carter and @stephenasmith react to JuJu Watkins' season-ending ACL injury. pic.twitter.com/fW4BH0Rla5
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 25, 2025
Bueckers delivered in her final home game at Gampel Pavilion, tying her career-high with 34 points as UConn cruised past No. 10 South Dakota State, 91-57. Smith emphasized that her strong performances must continue, not just for UConn’s success but for the entertainment value of the tournament. “It’s not just about winning or losing games,” he added. “It’s about being a star attraction… That’s what’s expected now, for us to be as intrigued as we thought we’d be with JuJu in the mix.”
A head-to-head matchup between Watkins and Bueckers would have been a marquee moment for women’s college basketball. Their Elite Eight clash last year drew 6.7 million viewers, surpassing the round’s average audience of 6.2 million. Their December rematch, a 72-70 USC victory, averaged 2.2 million viewers, making it the second-most-watched women’s college game ever on Fox, behind only Caitlin Clark’s final home game at Iowa.
Bueckers has never shied away from high expectations. “I’ve always looked at pressure as a privilege,” she told ‘The Athletic’ in December. Having led UConn since her freshman year, she is no stranger to the spotlight.
UConn now turns its focus to a Sweet 16 matchup against No. 3 Oklahoma, while USC, without Watkins, will take on No. 5 Kansas State. Both games will air as part of a Saturday doubleheader on ESPN.
Be the first to comment